//------------------------------//
// 'The Evil Statue!' 
// Story: Accepting Harmony 
// by Flim Skim the Spinner 
//------------------------------//

Having been Equestria’s monarch for several millennia, Princess Celestia had reached a point in her life where her disposition rarely betrayed any emotion.  The fact was that all throughout her extensive rule, she had never been faced with any challenge or threat that either she or her most gifted allies were incapable of dealing with.  That wasn’t to say that she didn’t take her responsibility over her subjects seriously, of course, as their safety meant more to her than her own life, but after so many years of preserving harmony over the land, it was hard to imagine anything that could put an end to such prosperous times.  One result of this was that Celestia did not allow any fear or anxiety she may hold towards the future of Equestria to show in her features or actions, unless such events were already well under way and it was obvious that the situation was dire.

What this meant for Princess Luna was that she was completely unable to decipher her sister’s feelings as the older Alicorn made ready for her departure from Canterlot.  Even after so many years spent in each other’s company, Celestia’s true emotional state was a mystery to Luna, which she usually attributed to her own introverted tendencies.

“I won’t be gone for more than a few days,” said Celestia to her sister as the two of them stepped onto the central balcony of Canterlot Castle.  Her chariot was at the ready, packed with the significant amount of luggage which the Princess had deemed necessary for her visit to the Crystal Empire.  The additional bulk had convinced her to assign two extra Pegasus guards to draw the carriage, after she noticed the nervous glances of the usual chariot-pullers.  

“Quite a bit of baggage for such a short trip,” observed Luna, a fact which was extrapolated when considering that hardly any of the packed items were clothing.

“Well, you know me,” was Celestia’s casual reply.  “I like to be prepared.”

Again, Luna couldn’t discern whether her sister was hiding something from her.  This news of a trip to the Crystal Empire, apparently at the request of Princess Cadance, had come so suddenly that Luna suspected a crisis situation was rearing its head, though Celestia insisted that her hasty departure was more a matter of excitement than urgency.  

“It’s been far too long since I’ve seen my niece,” had been her words when Luna questioned her on her expedient parting.  “I’m dying to catch up with her and Shining Armor.  It would be lovely to see how the two are settling down after the wedding, not to mention that debacle with King Sombra.”

While her sister was away, it would be Luna’s responsibility to watch over Canterlot, not that such a thing demanded much effort.  The Royal Capitol, along with the rest of Equestria, was mostly self-governed, requiring only occasional interventions from either Celestia or herself.  All this meant for Luna is that she would have to work a double-shift for the next few days, making sure the kingdom was peaceful.  She desperately hoped that the bags under her eyes wouldn’t return.

Bidding her sister farewell one final time, Celestia and her guards began to ascend into the sky, heading north for Equestria’s arctic region.  Luna waved until they had faded into the distance, then set off for her tower. 

Canterlot Castle felt surprisingly empty without Celestia, reminding Luna of how much presence her sister commanded; when Celestia was gone, so were all the delegates, financiers, and officials, not to mention the adoring subjects clamoring for her attention.  Luna, it seemed, had no such fanatics, at least none that she knew of, due to her nocturnal nature and, of course, her very extended absence from the kingdom.  

As a result, she now found herself with nothing to do and nopony to talk to.  Resigning herself to the boredom of the next few days, she found herself wishing that her Draconequus student was here to liven things up a bit, and wondered what her eccentric friend was doing now.



“It’s so wonderful that the others accepted your apology.  I knew they would like you if they just gave you a chance.”

“Fluttershy, my friend, you and your pony pals were absolutely right.  Friendship truly is a wonderful thing, maybe even more so than chaos.  Maybe.”

Despite having stayed there for only a short time, Discord felt oddly at home when he visited Fluttershy’s cottage.  Even if he was making new friends throughout Ponyville, Fluttershy would always be his first and most cherished comrade, the one pony who had given him the chance to experience something more meaningful that spreading wanton confusion.

“Well, no matter how things turn out for you, you’ll always be welcome here,” she said.  Fluttershy was truly happy that she had been able to turn Discord away from his life of villainy, but deep down was still afraid of the things he might be tempted to do in the event that he was unable to truly conform to a peaceful existence.  She had already decided that, even if he began slipping back into his old habits, her door would remain open to him.  It’s true that he had done horrible things in his lifetime, but Fluttershy stuck true to her belief that no one was completely evil, and if she could reform him once, she was confident that she could get him to see the light of day once again.  Of course, she hoped it would never come to that.  As it was, Discord seemed perfectly content with the idea of a harmonious existence.

Not everyone was glad to see Discord return, however.  To Angel, all that mattered was that the spirit’s considerable form was, once again, taking up all the space on Fluttershy’s couch.  Discord hardly noticed the rabbit kicking at his leg, but his nagging cries were enough to draw his attention.  

“Angel!  Don’t be rude!” scolded Fluttershy, flapping over to Discord’s side and pulling the rabbit away from him.  From his owner’s arms, Angel growled at Discord, still remembering the clamor he had caused the last time Fluttershy had allowed him into their home.

“I’m terribly sorry about his behavior,” she apologized.  “I forgot that Angel Bunny never saw you get reformed like the rest of us.”

“There’s no need for that,” offered Discord, giving Angel’s head a firm pat, which earned him another harsh glare.  “It’s perfectly understandable that he might have some reservations about me, considering how horribly I acted last time I was your guest.”  He pressed his cheek against Angel’s, prodding his nose and saying, “I’m sure we’ll be the best of friends in no time!,” then hastily withdrew as the rabbit made to bite him.

Discord snickered as Fluttershy reprimanded her pet once again; why should being reformed mean he couldn’t have a bit of fun at the expense of an overly-grumpy rabbit?

The three of them were roused from their conversation by a knock at the front door, which could be heard flying open a moment later, the visitor apparently finding it unnecessary to wait for a reply.  Discord wondered whether he should hide himself, considering that, even if he was beginning to get into Ponyville’s good books, there were still any number of ponies who might jump to the wrong conclusions if they saw him in the presence of the most timid, helpless soul in Equestria.

“Fluttershy, darling!  I do hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I’m afraid I had to depart a bit earlier than expected.”  

Discord relaxed, immediately recognizing the voice of Rarity, the posh pony who had a thing for sparkling rocks.  She, at least, knew of his reformation, though it was true he hadn’t had any sort of contact with her since that occasion.  He didn’t recall her being at his welcoming party the other day, so there was no telling whether she had heard of his return to Ponyville through the grapevine.

Fluttershy flew into the other room to welcome her friend, setting Angel on the ground as she did so.  The rabbit glowered at Discord once more before disappearing through a hole in the wall, and Discord made a mental note to think up a creative way to get back at the little pest the next time he came across him.

In the entrance room, Discord could hear Fluttershy in conversation with Rarity, choosing not to poke his head into the scene just yet, but rather waiting for it to become obvious that he wasn’t antagonizing Fluttershy in any way. 

“I’d almost forgotten that you were coming by,” said Fluttershy in a voice that was even more apologetic than her already rueful tone.  “Please, come inside.  I have a guest over right now, but I’m sure he’d love to see you.”

“Oh, really?” said Rarity, her voice drawing closer as two sets of hooves proceeded in his direction.  “A he, did you say?  Did you finally take my advice and introduce yourself to that charming young stallion we met at the spaaa-”  Rarity’s statement turned to a shocked exclamation as she rounded the corner came face-to-face with Discord, who sat with his chin resting casually on his fist, waving calmly to her.

“Good morning!” he said cheerfully, fully expecting an outburst.  To his surprise, Rarity choked down her shock and returned his greeting with a genial wave of her hoof, giving him the most genuine smile she could manage.

“Discord!” she said, and he was aware that this was the first time she had ever stated his name with a sense of warmth, rather than spitting it like she usually did.  “I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.”

This was the first time anypony had been so quick to welcome Discord, with the exception of Fluttershy, which seemed unusual, given what he knew of Rarity’s disposition.  “My being here doesn’t bother you?”

“It’s a… bit unexpected, to be sure, but you’re our friend now, and I welcome you as I would any of our other companions.”  Discord took a moment to absorb her words.  It always threw him for a loop when somepony gave him their first words of kindness, as opposed to the usual spiteful speech he had become accustomed to.

“Well, I would love to stay and catch up,” said Rarity, and Discord was touched by the honesty he felt in her statement, “but I really must be off to the train station if I’m to catch the eleven o’clock to Tall Tale.  I simply cannot afford to miss the opportunity to display my latest fashion line at their weekend fair.”

“Eeyup.  Speakin’ a’ which,” called a deeper voice from outside, “We need to get goin’ right quick if you’re gonna make it.  We’re runnin’ late as it is.”

Peeking out the window, Discord caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar pony, a large, red stallion with a green apple cutie mark.  The worker’s yoke around his neck was hooked up to a cart vastly overloaded with flashy bags, each of which was emblazoned with three blue gems, identifying them as belonging to Rarity.

“Oh!  Right, took me longer than I expected to get all of my luggage packed this morning,” said Rarity.  “Applejack was kind enough to let me steal Big McIntosh away from his work to help me to the station, and he’s proven exceptionally usefully with his punctuality.”  In a whisper that Discord couldn’t help overhearing, she added, “Not to mention those strong legs of his,” instantly reddening Fluttershy’s cheeks.

“Anyhow, I can’t thank you enough for helping me.  Applejack offered to watch the girls, but they insisted on staying with you.  It seems you made quite the impression on them last time they were here.”

“It’s no problem at all,” assured Fluttershy, recovering from her embarrassment.  Discord was confused for a moment, and checked outside once more; that Big McIntosh fellow was the only one waiting outside, so who were they talking about?  

His thoughts were interrupted by a clamoring cacophony coming from somewhere in Fluttershy’s yard.  Rarity immediately galloped outside to investigate, and a moment later, Discord heard her shout, “Girls!  Out of Fluttershy’s chicken coop, this instant!”

Discord craned his neck in an attempt to see the object of Rarity’s irritation through the window.  Failing to do so even with his face pressed against the glass, he then proceeded to phase his head though the window, extending himself to his mid-neck outside of Fluttershy’s cottage, the glass taking a flowing liquid form where he jutted though it.

Three fillies emerged from the chicken coop, covered in feathers but apparently none worse for the wear, as they were all grinning from ear to ear.  The trio was instantly familiar to Discord, though he couldn’t quite place where he had seen them before.  Judging from the saddlebags they each wore, it looked as if they were prepared for an extended stay.

“Sorry, sis,” said one, a white unicorn who bore a passing resemblance to Rarity, whom he inferred was her sister.  “We were just checking on the chickens to make sure there were no cocka-thingies like last time.  Cutie Mark Crusaders Coop Inspectors!”  Though she clearly meant it as a joke, she habitually gave a half-glance at her flank, which Discord noticed that, along with those of the other fillies, lacked a cutie mark.

Grimacing, Rarity brushed some of the down from her sister’s mane, saying, “Honestly, Sweetie Belle.  Do you have any idea the kind of filth chickens carry around?”  The other two fillies began to giggle softy as Sweetie Belle blushed.

Big McIntosh cleared his throat loudly, digging at the ground with his hoof.  The yellow filly, who spoke with the same accent as the stallion, said, “Y’all best be getting’ on yer way!  Take care with Rarity’s stuff, big brother!”  Almost inaudibly, Sweetie Belle added, “She’ll bite your head off if you don’t.”

Rarity gave her sister a quick squeeze, then set off with her muzzle in the air, calling back, “Goodbye!  I’ll see you all in a few days!”  

Big McIntosh turned to follow her, then looked back at the fillies and paused for a moment.  “Now, y’all better not cause any trouble for Miss Fluttershy like ya did last time,” he said, in a tone that was serious, but not unkind.  “That goes double fer you, Apple Bloom.  No leadin’ any wild crusades today, or it’ll be double chores for a week.”

“Me?” said Apple Bloom, pretending to be insulted.  “But Scootaloo’s the one who does all the dangerous stuff!”

The orange filly, who until that moment had seemed wholly uninterested in the exchange, suddenly rounded on her friend.  “Hey, trying to get our cutie marks by being bull riders was your idea!”

Big Mac raised an eyebrow at the girls, before casting an unsure glance at Fluttershy. 

“Really, they’re no trouble,” she assured him, though gears began to turn in her head as she realized that she would soon be left alone with not just three, but four of the wildest creatures in Equestria.  She glanced back to the window, where Discord, who had escaped anypony’s notice until now, quickly pulled his head back inside.

Fluttershy had failed to mention anything about looking after three fillies, which meant that Discord’s sudden appearance earlier that morning probably had caused her to forget all about it.  He wondered whether it would be polite to remove himself from the premises before the sight of him drove the young ponies to hysterics.  Hearing Fluttershy’s hoofsteps as she re-entered the cottage, along with three other sets of legs, he prepared to teleport away, but found himself rooted to the spot by his curiosity.  He knew those three from somewhere, and his mind wouldn’t let him forget about them until he remembered where.

“Now, girls, there’s someone I want you to meet,” said Fluttershy, having stopped before entering the room where Discord waited.  “He’s… a little unusual, but I promise, he’s very sweet once you get to know him.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up as she leaped directly to the wrong conclusion.  “Fluttershy,” she said, leaning forward with excitement, “You finally found your very special somepony!  Is it the stallion from the spa my sister’s always asking you about?”  

“Wh- a-” Fluttershy stammered for several seconds, finally forming the half-sentence, “H-how do you know about…?”

“Oh, we can hear everything you guys are saying whenever you’re at Carousel Boutique,” said Scootaloo unabashedly, bucking her saddlebags onto the couch.  “Rarity probably doesn’t even know, but the walls in that place are super thin.”  

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom followed her lead, tossing their things onto Fluttershy’s furniture.  Without waiting for Fluttershy’s approval, the trio began trotting into the room where Discord stood, wondering whether scaring the hooves off of three little fillies would be reason enough for Luna and Celestia to pull him back into Canterlot.

When they first laid eyes upon his harlequin features, the girls looked almost confused, as if they were wondering why Fluttershy would have bought such a bizarre-looking statue and moved it into her living room.  It wasn’t until Discord blinked, after several seconds of silence, that he received the reaction he was expecting: the three fillies simultaneously let out terrified shrieks and darted for cover behind Fluttershy’s wardrobe, peeking their wide-eyed faces out.

Following this display, Sweetie Belle pointed a hoof at Discord, shouting, “It’s the evil statue!”  

“You mean the chaos statue,” corrected Scootaloo, prompting Apple Bloom to add, “No, it’s the confusion statue!”

With those words, it finally clicked in Discord’s mind where he remembered the children from.  By the time Fluttershy paced cautiously into the room, Discord had already flashed behind the three fillies and swept them up into a ferocious squeeze that left them gasping for air.  When he set them back down, they were too stunned to move, though Sweetie Belle did wobble precariously as if she were about to keel over.

“I rememeber you three!” he said, “You’re the little fillies whose arguing gave me the push-start I needed to wake up and rid myself of that accursed stone!”  He bent over, making himself eye level with each of them, and looked from one terrified face to the next, grinning from ear to ear.  “If it wasn’t for your little display of disharmony, it might’ve been months, even years, before I realized that the Elements of Harmony weren’t restraining me anymore.  After so much time, I’d given up on even trying to force my way out, but you three-” he laughed, sending chills down the girls’ spines “-well, you’ve done me quite a service.”

“Um… Discord?” said Fluttershy, noticing with alarm that Apple Bloom’s coat was beginning to match the color of Sweetie Belle’s.  “I think you might have come on a little strong.”



It took Fluttershy’s continuous praise for her new friend, plus her assurance that Twilight had the Elements of Harmony on hand if the need should arise to use them, to calm the girls down to the point that they were willing to sit in the same room as Discord.  Even so, they couldn’t take their eyes off of him, staring with a mixture of fear and wonder.

“All he wants is to make some friends,” said Fluttershy for the fifth time, taking Discord’s eagle claw in her hooves.  “I know he may look scary - I thought so, too, at first - but he’s really just a big, loveable softie once you get to know him.”  

Well, that was certainly the first time anypony had described him that way, thought Discord, giving the girls the friendliest, most non-threatening smile he could manage - though, admittedly, it was hard not to look intimidating with a face like his, especially to three fillies.  

“Wait a minute,” said Sweetie Belle scrunching up her face in confusion, “Fluttershy, you’re dating the evil statue?”

Fluttershy looked from Sweetie to Discord, then quickly released her hold on his talon, face turning pink as embarrasment took her yet again.  “Oh, no, no, it’s not like that at all,” she said, stammering as she wondered how it was these kids were so good at making her struggle for words.

“Fluttershy and I are, er... just friends,” said Discord, sparing her the need to say it herself, and she visibly relaxed.  Honestly, he hardly knew a thing about romance, but he was certain whatever he had with Equestria's most timid pegasus was far from such a relationship.   “In fact, Fluttershy here was my first friend, the one who made me see how wonderful of a thing it could be.”

“Oh,” said Sweetie Belle, her face clearing up into a good-natured grin.  “That’s good.  I bet the guy from the spa would be really upset if Fluttershy started seeing somepony else.”

Discord raised an eyebrow, surprised at how quickly the little unicorn seemed to have gotten over her supposed fear of ‘the evil statue.’  Was everypony in this town so quick to offer their forgiveness?

“So, if you’re not using your magic to create chaos,” said Apple Bloom, warming up to the idea of a friend who could manipulate space and time, “does that mean you’re using it to help ponies now?”

Discord considered this for a moment.  “Well, yes, I would like to use my magic for the benefit of Equestria, but… honestly, I haven’t really found any way to do that yet.”  His magic was, after all, inherently malicious, and he’d never even attempted to use it towards a benevolent goal.

“Wait…” said Scootaloo, who began to pick up on Apple Bloom’s plan.  “Your magic is like, crazy awesome, break-the-rules-of-the-universe type magic, right?”

A light seemed to go on in Fluttershy’s head, her demeanor suddenly turning completely serious.  “No, girls.  Forget about it.  You couldn’t ask Discord to do something like that.”  

The fillies each let out a groan, and Discord felt as if he was missing something.  “Ask me to do… what, exactly?”

“The girls have a little hobby they like to pursue in their spare time,” said Fluttershy, looking as though she had recalled some painful memory, “But, sometimes they get a little carried away with it…”

Scootaloo seemed to take offense at this, suddenly leaping onto the couch and puffing out her chest.  “It’s not just a hobby!” she said, “We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and we’ll never stop adventuring until we’ve found our special talents!”

The other girls quickly responded by flanking Scootaloo on either side, matching her heroic pose, and Discord had a mental image of a sunburst surrounding the trio, wind ruffling their manes, while a fanfare of trumpets played in the background.

"So, let me get this straight..." he said, narrowing his eyes, "You want me to use my chaos magic to give you three your cutie marks?"

Before he had time to react, Discord found himself bombarded by the bodies of the fillies, whom he just managed to catch in a bear hug before they fell to the floor.  Simultaneously, they turned their enormous eyes on him in their well-practiced pleading expressions, accentuated by three adorable cries of, "Pleeeeaaaaaase?"

When it came to cuteness, Discord had very little experience, usually preferring to turn such creatures into twisted monstrosities.  He had to admit, however, that the longing in the girls' faces was having quite an effect on him, and he was able to add yet another new emotion to his list, which he had no name for, but decided to refer to as "Awwwwww!"

"Well..." he began, and the Crusaders inched their faces closer, bringing Discord the closest to a squee he'd ever been.  He hated to dash the hopes of the little girls, but he was well aware that altering the ingrained magic of the spirit was something even he had trouble with, and trying to force their talents to light would more than likely bring any number of unpleasant side-effects.

"It's not as simple as that," he said, and the Crusaders' expressions immediately turned crestfallen; Discord gently set them back down on the ground, where they began to mope about dejectedly, occasionally kicking at the ground.

He looked to Fluttershy, who seemed to be trying her best not to give into the girls' display, but she, like him, was no match for the power of three staggeringly cute fillies.  "... not even my magic can force such a thing to happen, but..."  Sweetie Belle glanced up at him, her lower lip quivering.  

"... I suppose that... I can try to find some other way to help..."

Without skipping a beat, Sweetie Belle's gloom cleared, and she began bouncing giddily, saying, "That's it!  He can help us go crusading!"

"Wh... a-"  Discord looked from one filly to the next, all of whom seemed to have miraculously recovered from their despair.  "Why, with his magic," said Apple Bloom, "We'd have all sorts a' new ways to try an' find our special gifts!"

This wasn't exactly what Discord had been implying, but as the three girls simultaneously hugged him around the waist, he found himself completely unable to object to their proposal.

A moment later, he was giving Fluttershy a dumbstruck look, which she returned in full, as the Cutie Mark Crusaders pushed him out the front door, chattering excitedly as Discord realized that he had just been overpowered by three school fillies.